Detailed curriculum
This is the fuller lesson map behind the Certified MN Practitioner (Situation) credential. It shows the work behind the Situation level without making the main program page carry the whole syllabus.
Total
About 73 hours
Format
1:1 with Steven
Structure
7 phases, 7 gates
Portfolio
3 real client cases
The lesson sequence is the path, not the standard. A practitioner may complete the listed work and still need more practice before a gate is passed. Certification depends on demonstrated competence in submitted work, recorded practice, client case material, and review with Steven.
Reading, viewing, reference work, and theory orientation.
Drills, write-ups, recorded runs, peer sessions, and client work.
1:1 review, oral gates, portfolio review, and certification decision.
Credential scope
The Situation credential trains practitioners to work with the setup a person is inside of: what is being asked, what is being supplied, what it is costing, and what kind of recovery or structural change would alter the cost over time.
Who it is for
The course assumes the practitioner can already hold a client conversation, manage scope, take notes, and operate inside professional ethics. The training adds a structural axis to an existing practice.
Coaches, therapists, counselors, HR partners, organizational consultants, mentors, advisors, guidance counselors, academic advisors, and practitioners trained in adjacent traditions.
Two to three years of active client-facing practice. Exceptions are reviewed case by case when the application shows equivalent facilitation, mentoring, or diagnostic experience.
Rolling admission. No cohorts. Steven reviews each application and confirms fit through an enrollment conversation before the practitioner begins.
Client workflow
The sequence is fixed during training so the practitioner learns the shape of the work before adapting it inside their own practice.
Intake Gather context, client goals, prior diagnostic work, and current Map status.
MN Situation Map Use the asynchronous Map as a structural snapshot before live work.
Live Situation Protocol Walk the client through demand, supply, cost, recovery, pattern recognition, and compound indicators.
Pattern recognition and routing Decide whether the work stays in Situation scope or requires referral.
Written Situation Analysis Produce the structural read before the Delivery session.
Delivery session Walk through the Analysis, handle reactions, and land one prompt forward.
Follow-up sessions Work with the Analysis over later sessions as structural moves are tested and new data appears.
Case notes Record pattern observed, compound indicators, scope notes, and next-step evidence.
Certification standard
The gates decide certification. Hours make the work visible; they do not certify competence. Each gate is scored as pass, provisional, or not yet.
Pacing view
The calendar is illustrative. Gate readiness, not calendar completion, controls progression.
| Window | Main work | Expected checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–2 | Phase 1 entry work and two-account contrast | Entry review with Steven |
| Weeks 3–5 | Phase 2 Situation language discipline | Language Gate |
| Weeks 6–9 | Phase 3 five-pattern recognition | Analysis Gate |
| Weeks 10–12 | Phase 4 compound recognition and routing | Pattern Gate |
| Weeks 13–16 | Phase 5 Map, Protocol, and written Analysis | Peer Protocol reviewed by Steven |
| Weeks 17–20 | Phase 6 delivery and multi-session scope practice | Delivery Gate + Scope Gate |
| Weeks 21–24 | Phase 7 real-client case portfolio | Portfolio Gate + AI Gate + certification conversation |
Lesson map
| Lesson | Focus | Time | Mode | Output / check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1.1 | The Situation discipline: learns what Situation work trains. | 0.5h | Study | Boundary notes |
| S1.2 | Two-account case contrast: compares personality and situation accounts of the same case. | 1h | Study + Practice | Annotated contrast |
| S1.3 | Steven's positionality: locates how the Situation axis emerged. | 0.25h | Study | Short note |
| S1.4 | Three-axis differential: learns why Nature, Situation, and Orientation must be separated. | 0.5h | Study | Differential notes |
| S1.5 | What Situation covers: separates Situation work from adjacent work. | 0.25h | Study | Scope check |
| S1.6 | AI from day one: learns AI use and limits. | 0.25h | Study | AI-use note |
| S1.7 | Entry statement: reflects on a situation in their own life or practice. | 1h | Practice | Entry statement |
| S1.8 | Entry review: reviews entry work and two-account contrast. | 0.75h | Steven | Proceed / revise |
| Lesson | Focus | Time | Mode | Output / check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S2.1 | What a situation is: learns the cross-domain definition. | 0.5h | Study | Definition note |
| S2.2 | Claim discipline: learns what practitioners may and may not say. | 0.5h | Study | Claim ladder notes |
| S2.3 | Structural-not-personal axiom: separates structural reading from character reading. | 0.5h | Study | Rewrite examples |
| S2.4 | Load and recovery substrate: reads cost through load, strain, and recovery deficit. | 0.5h | Study | Substrate notes |
| S2.5 | Conservation of Resources: learns why losses compound. | 0.5h | Study | Loss map |
| S2.6 | Affordance and underload: learns how unused capacity becomes situational evidence. | 0.5h | Study | Underload examples |
| S2.7 | Coaching vocabulary trap: rewrites coaching language into situation language. | 0.5h | Study | Rewrite set |
| S2.8 | Three-term usage: cleans up Situation / situations / structures usage. | 0.25h | Study | Usage check |
| S2.9 | Claim Ladder drills: places claims at the right strength. | 0.75h | Practice | Drill responses |
| S2.10 | Counter-narrative drills: corrects five common misreads. | 1h | Practice | Drill responses |
| S2.11 | Identity-labeling correction: removes identity labels from situation explanations. | 0.5h | Practice | Corrections |
| S2.12 | Language Gate: reviews written and oral language discipline. | 1h | Steven | Pass / provisional / not yet |
| Lesson | Focus | Time | Mode | Output / check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S3.1 | Pattern inventory: learns the five patterns as inventory, not type system. | 0.5h | Study | Inventory note |
| S3.2 | Demand Lock: learns signature, expressions, misreads, and confusions. | 1h | Study | Pattern card |
| S3.3 | Reward Gap: learns signature, expressions, misreads, and confusions. | 1h | Study | Pattern card |
| S3.4 | Recovery Deficit: learns signature, expressions, misreads, and confusions. | 1h | Study | Pattern card |
| S3.5 | Underload: learns signature, expressions, misreads, and confusions. | 1h | Study | Pattern card |
| S3.6 | Loss Spiral: learns signature, expressions, misreads, and confusions. | 1h | Study | Pattern card |
| S3.7 | Cross-domain pattern reading: reads the same pattern across work, relationship, caregiving, financial, health, and civic contexts. | 0.5h | Study | Cross-domain notes |
| S3.8 | Recognition exercise: names primary and secondary patterns in five fictional scenarios. | 1.5h | Practice | Answers + rationale |
| S3.9 | Fictional Map and intake bank: produces pattern-only reads of three cases. | 1.5h | Practice | Three short reads |
| S3.10 | Pattern composition drill: separates upstream/downstream and acute/chronic dynamics. | 0.5h | Practice | Composition notes |
| S3.11 | Analysis Gate: defends pattern recognition orally. | 1.5h | Steven | Pass / provisional / not yet |
| Lesson | Focus | Time | Mode | Output / check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S4.1 | Why compounds matter: learns why single-axis reading is sometimes insufficient. | 0.5h | Study | Compound notes |
| S4.2 | Maximum Extraction: reads Situation + Nature without collapsing either axis. | 0.5h | Study | Case distinction |
| S4.3 | Invisible Drain: recognizes Nature + Orientation as referral territory. | 0.5h | Study | Routing note |
| S4.4 | Structural Blindness: recognizes Situation + Orientation without overclaiming. | 0.5h | Study | Routing note |
| S4.5 | Total Collapse Invisibility: reads three-axis collapse as beyond single-level work. | 0.5h | Study | Referral note |
| S4.6 | Not-Situation exemplar: practices seeing when the presenting problem is not Situation pathology. | 0.5h | Study | Exemplar note |
| S4.7 | Routing logic: routes to Nature, Orientation, full Renergence, or clinical referral. | 0.5h | Study | Routing map |
| S4.8 | Compound recognition drills: works compound cases. | 1.5h | Practice | Answers + rationale |
| S4.9 | Demand Lock vs. Maximum Extraction: practices the common confusion. | 0.5h | Practice | Differential answer |
| S4.10 | Routing role-play: makes referral calls in three vignettes. | 0.5h | Practice | Role-play notes |
| S4.11 | Pattern Gate: reviews written and oral compound reasoning. | 1h | Steven | Pass / provisional / not yet |
| Lesson | Focus | Time | Mode | Output / check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S5.1 | What the Map measures: learns instrument claim discipline. | 0.5h | Study | Scope note |
| S5.2 | Map literacy: reads Situation signals from the Map. | 1h | Study | Map notes |
| S5.3 | Situation Protocol: learns the live structural inquiry sequence. | 1h | Study | Protocol map |
| S5.4 | Pacing and posture: practices the structural posture in session. | 0.5h | Study | Session notes |
| S5.5 | Pattern signatures in client language: learns phrasebook-level recognition. | 0.5h | Study | Phrase notes |
| S5.6 | Written Situation Analysis: learns the Analysis as the delivery artifact. | 1h | Study | Analysis outline |
| S5.7 | Analysis is not prescription: separates structural document from verdict or advice. | 0.25h | Study | Rewrite example |
| S5.8 | AI literacy drill: finds planted errors in AI output. | 0.75h | Practice | Error log |
| S5.9 | Fictional Map read: produces a Map read from a fictional case. | 1h | Practice | Map read |
| S5.10 | Recorded peer Protocol: runs a full peer-as-client Protocol. | 1.5h | Practice | Recording |
| S5.11 | Written Analysis from peer session: produces the written Analysis. | 1.5h | Practice | Analysis |
| S5.12 | Steven review: reviews Map read, recording, and Analysis. | 1.5h | Steven | Proceed / revise |
| Lesson | Focus | Time | Mode | Output / check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S6.1 | Opening Delivery Session: learns the 60-minute Analysis walkthrough. | 0.5h | Study | Delivery outline |
| S6.2 | Pacing the Delivery: learns what to land and what to leave open. | 0.25h | Study | Pacing note |
| S6.3 | Handling reactions: practices recognition, resistance, surprise, and grief. | 0.5h | Study | Response options |
| S6.4 | Bridge into client work: learns how Delivery opens ongoing work. | 0.25h | Study | Bridge language |
| S6.5 | Closing without prescribing: practices a non-prescriptive close. | 0.25h | Study | Closing note |
| S6.6 | Practitioner invariants: works ten delivery-context violations. | 1.5h | Study + Practice | Drill responses |
| S6.7 | Scope and clinical line: separates Situation work from clinical, advisory, and wrong-client cases. | 1h | Study + Practice | Scope vignettes |
| S6.8 | Casework arc: learns the shape of ongoing Situation work. | 0.5h | Study | Arc notes |
| S6.9 | Setting up the work: practices the scoping conversation. | 0.5h | Study | Scoping notes |
| S6.10 | Session moves after Delivery: learns what to do in later sessions. | 0.5h | Study | Move list |
| S6.11 | Cadence and closing: learns re-analysis and closure. | 0.5h | Study | Cadence note |
| S6.12 | Integration into existing practice: places Situation work inside current professional work. | 0.5h | Study | Integration note |
| S6.13 | Scope discipline across sessions: learns how drift appears over an arc. | 0.5h | Study | Drift warning signs |
| S6.14 | Consent and case notes: learns confidentiality and documentation discipline. | 0.25h | Study | Case note format |
| S6.15 | Recorded Delivery 1: runs MN Situation Map -> Protocol -> Analysis -> Delivery. | 1.5h | Practice | Recording |
| S6.16 | Recorded Delivery 2: runs a second Delivery with a different pattern. | 1.5h | Practice | Recording |
| S6.17 | Casework role-plays: practices scoping, later-session moves, and scope drift. | 1.5h | Practice | Role-play notes |
| S6.18 | Delivery Gate: Steven reviews both recordings. | 1.5h | Steven | Pass / provisional / not yet |
| S6.19 | Scope Gate: oral review of scope discipline. | 0.5h | Steven | Pass / provisional / not yet |
| Lesson | Focus | Time | Mode | Output / check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S7.1 | Own Situation read: reads their own situation and practice fit. | 1h | Practice | Self-read |
| S7.2 | Professional calibration: names what they can responsibly offer. | 0.5h | Practice | Calibration statement |
| S7.3 | Sustainability log: tracks practice sustainability. | 0.5h | Practice | Log |
| S7.4 | Portfolio setup: reviews client process, notes, consent, and AI use. | 0.5h | Study | Setup checklist |
| S7.5 | Real client case 1: intake, Map, Protocol, Analysis, Delivery, follow-ups, closing read. | 3.5h | Practice | Case file |
| S7.6 | Real client case 2: completes a second full case. | 3.5h | Practice | Case file |
| S7.7 | Real client case 3: completes a third full case. | 3.5h | Practice | Case file |
| S7.8 | Final self-assessment: reviews readiness against seven gates. | 0.5h | Practice | Self-assessment |
| S7.9 | Portfolio Gate: Steven reviews three cases and write-ups. | 3h | Steven | Certification decision input |
| S7.10 | AI Gate and certification conversation: reviews AI discipline and final readiness. | 1h | Steven | Certify / provisional / not yet |
Next step
The main page covers admission, fit, pricing, credential scope, and how this level relates to Nature, Orientation, and the full Renergence credential.